


Ice Cold to the Touch

by INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon, rissaleigh49



Series: Any Way the Wind Blows [7]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Mush, M/M, Sick Character, Supernatural Illnesses, care and comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:02:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24185599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon/pseuds/INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/rissaleigh49/pseuds/rissaleigh49
Summary: Thanatos is overworked, and he's not good at hiding it.*Companion piece for both Come Home With Me/Wedding Song by rissaleigh49 and M'kay by INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon
Relationships: Hermes/Thanatos (Lore Olympus)
Series: Any Way the Wind Blows [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590340
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	1. Ice Cold to the Touch

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [M'kay?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23822653) by [INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon/pseuds/INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon). 



> Helloooooooooo friends! So, if y'all aren't already reading [M'kay](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23822653/chapters/57240778) by INeedMoreHadesBeforeISwoon, you should be. In her latest chapter of that fic, she revealed that it actually takes place in the same universe as my Any Way The Wind Blows series. So we have a crossover! 
> 
> We've been working on this for MONTHS guys! I'm so excited to be able to finally share it with you. 
> 
> This started out as a smol world building conversation, and in true Rissa and Swoonie fashion has turned into a longass something or other... it was supposed to also be a oneshot, but neither of us are really good at those either, so now we're at 2, maybe 3 chapters....
> 
> Anyway, timeline schtuffs can be found in the end notes, if you're looking for where this fits in with the other two fics...
> 
> Some warnings for slight-almost-but-not-quite self sabotage, gross coughing chest cold sickness things, and some implied themes of starvation. 
> 
> Enjoy, dears!

It takes about four months for Thanatos to really feel it, but he is  _ tired.  _

He stops answering calls from his siblings. The Moirai don’t really call him (it’s not like they need to, if they really wanted to check up on him they could, all-seeing annoyances that they are), but Hypnos and the Keres are good about bothering him at least once weekly. Any other time he would play nice, but between his workload basically doubling due to Hermes’ reassignment and the fact that he’s not really ready to tell them about his relationship, he decides ignoring them all together is the best course of action. 

Of course, Hermes is tired too. Zeus has him searching all over the damn mortal realm looking for that piece-of-shit sun god. Than knows it’s more serious than him just neglecting his duties, even if his Royal Highness says otherwise. He doesn’t say this to Hermes though; he doesn’t want to add any more to the crimson god’s already insurmountable burden. 

He comes home most nights, tired as all hells, and makes sure there is something close to edible for when Hermes finally trudges through that door. He listens while Hermes complains about the distance and the futility of the task (“He could be  _ anywhere _ Than, and there’s only two of us looking!”) while he rubs the tension from burgundy-speckled shoulders. 

Than has been around long enough to think that this whole search is a farce - to what end, he has no idea. But he’s seen how Zeus favors Apollo, and something tells him that if he really wanted to, the King of the Gods would have no problem finding the sun god, no matter how well he was hiding. 

None of this helps Hermes though, so Than keeps his unhelpful comments to himself.

So they go on with this routine, for months on months. Than doesn’t tell Hermes when the bodies he pulls souls from start to become thinner and thinner, and if Hermes notices the lack of crops or greenery, he doesn’t remark on it. About three months in, Than notices that his alerts start coming a little quicker than he’s accustomed to, and his loads start becoming a slight bit larger. It’s hardly enough to cause a blip in their data, but he’s been at this long enough that he notices. 

So after four months of this bullshit situation they’ve found themselves in, Than notices he struggles to keep form. 

This has happened to him before, where when he gets really,  _ really _ , tired, he seems to flicker back and forth between that weird smokey form where only the dead and dying can see him, and his actual, physical, corporeal self. He’s the only god he’s ever met with that form, so he assumes he’s the only god who deals with this problem. 

Another thing he keeps to himself. 

He doesn’t want to worry Hermes, and he also doesn’t want to freak him out. Sure, Hermes had seen him like that at work, but never when Thanatos didn’t have full control of it. 

He knows what happens next, so when Hermes heads to work the next day, Than schedules a meeting with the boss to see if he can get some help. 

He knows Hades has his own shit going on - everyone heard about Demeter going absolutely ape-shit on him when she found Persephone living with him, and of course the upcoming wedding, and then the rumors that him and Persephone are going to have a  _ kid _ \- but sisters be damned, he does  _ not _ want Hermes to see him sick. 

The earliest he can get in is a lunch meeting in a month's time, and he hopes beyond all hope that he can make it that long. 

Then it gets pushed back two days. And then another week.

When the day of the meeting finally comes around, he warns Hermes that he’ll probably have to work late since he has a lunch meeting, and he gets an extra kiss goodbye before they part ways at the door. 

He is damn near furious when he finds out Hades passed off their meeting to Hecate for some bullshit excuse about having to meet his brother in the Mortal Realm. 

He’s partly mad at himself, for all the stupid laziness he’d pulled in the past that would give Hades reason to think this particular request wasn’t genuine. But he’d been complaining for  _ weeks  _ now that work was getting to be too much, shouldn’t that have been a clue that he was serious?

He tries to tell Hecate what’s been going on, but she barely looks at him, telling him the data doesn’t support his story and that if it was really that bad he should call Hades. 

Than just rolls his eyes and walks away from that waste of a meeting. 

He nearly wants to laugh when his workload that afternoon is basically triple what it had been for the last week -  _ data my ass _ , he thinks. Even Charon looks tired, and if Thanatos had to guess, he’d say there was some modicum of pity in the old man’s expression on his  _ sixth _ drop off of the day. 

It’s not just  _ late  _ when he finally makes it back to Olympus, it’s  _ past midnight _ . Hermes is already fast asleep, but Than hasn’t been able to keep to solid form since the sun set in the mortal realm. Moreover, his chest feels heavy, his face feels flushed, and he knows a cough is on the horizon. He doesn’t want to worry his boyfriend, so he decides to wait it out on the couch, where he can breathe as deep as his tight chest will let him while he tries to make himself stay solid. 

He doesn’t know how long he sits there, but he hears footsteps come down the stairs and his favorite voice calls out to him. 

“Than? Are you alright? I heard you come in but you never came to bed….” Hermes approaches the couch slowly, his footsteps as sleepy as his voice. Thanatos can’t bring himself to turn to him, but he grasps the crimson hand that reaches out to him cautiously. 

“Come to bed, Angel. It’s been a long day.”

Thanatos nods, allowing Hermes to lead him upstairs to bed. His movements are borderline mechanical as he undresses, wings unfurling from the nether space he’d kept them in on the train ride back from the Underworld. Belt, pants, socks, all fall to the floor until he is left in just his boxers, climbing into bed where Hermes is holding the blanket out for him.

Hermes snuggles up against Than, but flinches slightly when his vermilion skin touches his silver-white partner’s. 

“Than, isn’t it summer? Why are you so cold?” he asks, a little concerned, and very, very confused. 

Thanatos shrugs, eyes already drooping closed. “Just need sleep, applesauce,” he offers, scooting closer to the warmth and comfort that his boyfriend provides. 

Hermes reaches up, gently tugging the tie from Thanatos’ bun to let his hair fall across the God of Death’s back. “Okay, Angel,” he says, running his fingers through Than’s hair the way he knows will get him to sleep the fastest. “You just rest.”

* * *

Hermes’ concern quickly goes from “poor boy is working too hard” to “something is seriously wrong” when his alarm goes off and Than doesn’t even stir. He gently nudges his boyfriend’s shoulder, and Than blinks up at him with bleary eyes. 

“What’s wrong, applesauce?” he asks, voice hoarse but not in his just-woke-up-and-still-laced-with-sleep way. “Did we oversleep?”

Hermes doesn’t respond, because immediately Than turns his face into the pillow and starts coughing. It’s a horrible, choked sound, and Hermes is very much able to tell that Than is trying to stifle it by the way his wings tense and shake. 

Hermes reaches out to feel Than’s forehead, and his eyes widen in shock. “Angel you are  _ ice fucking cold! _ You can’t go to work like this,” Hermes says, hopping out of bed to find his phone, probably still in one of his pockets from yesterday. 

“Hermes, I have to go to work. I’ll be -” The death god’s protests are cut off once more by that hacking cough, and Hermes rushes over, trying to help his boyfriend sit up in the hopes that it will help him breathe easier. “Sorry,” Than whispers, head dropping to Hermes’ shoulder.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Angel, nothing at all. I’m calling Hades though, you need to rest.”

Thanatos sighs, knowing his boyfriend is right. Is that not what he had tried to do himself yesterday? He rolls back over, curling in on himself, and Hermes continues the search for his phone. He looks back over at the bed, and decides to make this phone call out in the hall. 

“Hello?” Hades’ voice comes through the phone, sounding like he was on the tail end of a chuckle. Hermes rolls his eyes as he hears Persephone’s unmistakable giggle in the background. 

He is not feeling very gracious today. 

“Hades, listen,” he says, getting straight to the point. “I know it’s early and y’all aren’t even on the clock yet, but Than can’t come into work. You gotta get someone else to deal with death traffic today.”

“Thanatos…. What do you mean,  _ can’t work today _ ?” Hades asks, voice dripping with skepticism, and Hermes can practically hear the king’s stupid-perfect eyebrows crawling up his foreheard. 

“I mean he’s  _ sick _ \- sicker than I’ve ever seen a god, and it’s weird too. He’s ice cold to the touch, and he’s coughin’ and can barely breathe!” Hermes nearly starts yelling, but remembers Than curled up just a few feet from the doorway he’s standing by. “His sisters are death gods too - the Keres, I mean. I know it’s not perfect, but Ares isn’t exactly campaigning right now so it’s not like they’re doing much. Make them take Than’s shifts for a couple days. Just ‘til he’s better.”

Hades sighs. “We don’t really  _ let _ the Keres handle typical deaths… they tend to scare the mortals and you  _ know _ they don’t hide well. They don’t have Thanatos’ special form. That’s kind of why we hired  _ you _ , remember? Because Thanatos said he had too much work and the Keres weren’t a viable option.”

“I don’t really fucking care, Hades! It’s just a few days. I don’t care  _ what _ you do, but Than isn’t coming to work, and I still gotta figure out what  _ I’m _ gonna do because Zeus’ll have my hide if I don’t show up for his stupid search party, but I’m not too keen on leaving Than alone like this and-”

“Alright! Alright, Hermes, I’ll talk to the Keres. You know, he’s come crying to me before, faking sick enough times that I didn’t think this was real, either.”

Hermes feels his face grow hot at the realization. “You blew off his meeting yesterday, didn’t you? He fucking came to you for help and you  _ ignored him _ !?”

“I didn’t blow it off, I just had Hecate take it. And can you blame me?”

“Yes, I can fucking blame you! That was a fucking dick move, Hades!”

Hermes hears some muffled conversation on the other end, and realizes Persephone probably heard some, if not all, of the conversation. When Hades finally responds to him, he sounds tired. “Fine. Be angry. Please try to remember that I am also  _ your _ boss, Hermes. You can’t really talk to me like that.”

“You’re sleeping with one of my friends and were a dick to my boyfriend. I’ll talk to you however the fuck I want.”

“Boyfriend? I-” He hears a rustling sound that he assumes is either Hades shaking his head back and forth, or him covering the phone to talk to Persephone again. “I’m not really going to ask questions. I don’t know what Zeus told you about the search -”

“Absolutely nothing,” Hermes interrupts him, rolling his eyes as he peeks around the corner to check on Than, who hasn’t moved. 

“Right, well… I’ll send someone over to keep an eye on Thanatos, and let Zeus know you might be late today, but please don’t just  _ not _ show up. I, well,  _ we _ would really appreciate it.”

Hermes nods, though the other god can't see him. He knows, as he always does, what Hades  _ isn’t _ saying - that “we” isn’t him and Zeus, it’s him and Persephone, and this search has something to do with them, too. And by the way Hades says it, it’s more important than Zeus is letting on. “Thank you. He’s at my place, by the way. If you don’t know where that is, Perse should.”

He hangs up the phone and goes to the bathroom to get a warm cloth for Than’s forehead.

* * *

An hour passes, and Than’s halfway dozing there in Hermes’ embrace. Crimson lips press softly to a silver-white forehead as Hermes gently untangles himself, trying not to wake the sleeping god. He knows from the text he got from Zeus where he is going once he gets to the mortal realm, so he’s dressing himself in his chiton and buckling his sandals when he hears a knock at his door. 

“Applesauce? Are you leaving?” Than asks from the bed, and Hermes could kill whoever woke his boyfriend. 

“I still gotta work, angel, but don’t worry, I think the big boss sent someone over to stay with you.”

Thanatos groans, and Hermes isn’t sure if it’s from being sick or whoever he’s imagining Hades sent to them, but he doesn’t have time to question it. He hops down the stairs to answer the door as quick as he can, and is slightly taken aback at what he finds on his doorstep. 

Hermes’ neck cracks a little as he strains to find the being’s face against the mid-morning light. Five solidly-black eyes blink slowly at him, and a smile curls corpse-pale lips beneath the lowest two beside a hawkish nose. The being leans forward slightly, and a few scraggled curls drape over the two eyes on the left of that angular face.

“Hermes, I presume…?” Hermes only gulps. “Don’t be afraid, boy. I don’t suppose my son ever told you I didn’t quite fit in…. May I come in…?”

“Son? So you’re…”

“Erebus, yep, and your lover is my oldest son.”

Hermes blinks in surprise. He and Than hadn’t really talked about parents and family… hadn’t really had time… and now his boyfriend’s dad is just standing on his doorstep calling them lovers. 

Hermes doesn’t quite know how to respond. 

“Right, um, sorry, uh... do you want to come in?” he finally manages, after a just-too-long moment of staring. 

“Yes, thank you.” Erebus paces too-quietly forward as Hermes not-quite-scrambles back away from the entryway. It’s only with that little bit of distance that Hermes finally notices the rest of Erebus’ appearance. 

This Primordial Being is tall, obviously, bending at the waist to make it underneath the lintel of the door, but it’s the massy night-dark shapes that are catching Hermes’ eye now. Where Than’s wings are fluffy, feathered, and, let’s face it, fancy as hell, Erebus’ angular appendages are rather alien to the overwhelmed messenger. It’s not until Erebus straightens again, fully in the wider foyer now, that Hermes realizes they’re not feathered:

Erebus’ wings are basically Titan-sized bats’ wings, leathery and black as pitch in the brightness of Hermes’ home….

Hermes barely snaps out of his staring when Erebus clears his throat into a carefully-closed fist. “My son, Messenger…?”

“Uh… Hermes, you can call me Hermes, sir. And he’s upstairs, let me show you…”

“Thank you, Hermes.” The Messenger Between the Gods darts up the stairs ahead of his boyfriend’s father, gesturing with a sweeping arm through the bedroom door.

“Than, hey, your dad’s here….”

Than’s grumble is half-muffled under the sheets, but Hermes thinks it’s something about  _ not Daaa-aaad…. _

Erebus ducks through the bedroom door, and as his wings brush past Hermes, the messenger feels his eyes nearly popping out of socket as he spies a gracefully-slender  _ tail _ waving behind the Primordial’s back: silver-grey, snakelike, and tipped with a spearhead’s point of shining diamond-black.

Erebus grumbles as he makes his half-hunched way across the bedroom, and that deep velvety rumble Hermes can make out without  _ any  _ trouble. “Oh, stop all that, boy; who else did you think was gonna come sit with you all day while your lover heads to work…?”

Another wordless moan of irritation dissolves into hacking coughs, and Hermes darts back into the bedroom, snatching the basin and cloth from the bedside table and beelining for his bathroom. Steaming water, a fresh-soft cloth, and he’s floating back into the bedroom, placing the bowl where Erebus can reach it. 

He can’t help but stare a little at the spectacle of his boyfriend nearly invisible behind sheltering black wings, the leathery membranes not-quite see-through but obviously fragile. (He also chooses to ignore the way his mattress is precariously almost-tilting toward the floor on that side; maybe they’ll shift more to the center throughout the day.)

Thanatos’ icy eyes peer hazily at him over the upper edges of Erebus’ enveloping wings, and Hermes is pretty sure if he could see the rest of Than’s face, it would be his boyfriend’s  _ I’m not happy about this but I also like it _ grumpy expression….

Hermes takes a steadying breath; it shouldn’t be this hard to leave….

“Okay. There’s drinks and snacks down in the kitchen. I think Than’s map is here, in the side-drawer.” Erebus reaches a long-fingered hand for the wrinkled paper Hermes holds out to him, five black eyes squinting slightly at the hand-drawn floor-plan and routes. “Help yourself to anything, literally anything, whatever you want, just - ”

“Hermes, boy, I’ll take good care of your lover. Go on….”

Thanatos grumbles again, and Hermes chuckles as he starts heading out of the bedroom. He turns back suddenly, flitting back over to the bed and kissing the top of Than’s head, ignoring the shock-wide eyes peering up at him and the Primordial Being oozing curiosity beside him. “Try and get some rest, hon, I’ll be back tonight…”

Hermes nearly runs out of the house after that, not trusting himself to actually go to work if he stays any longer.  _ The sooner I get there, the sooner I can come back _ , he thinks, over and over again as he flies off towards the border crossing to the Mortal Realm. 

* * *

Hermes lands on his back patio with an exhausted  _ thud _ ; fucking Zeus sent him all the way to  _ Athens _ today, even though searching Sicily would have been closer and taken less time. But Almighty King of the Gods Zeus _ insisted _ he’d already been to Sicily so there was no reason for them  _ both  _ to look there…. 

As he enters his home, he can already see his entire kitchen is taken up by large, nearly-but-not-quite-translucent bat wings. Erebus is crouching in front of the fridge, long legs half-hidden beneath the drape of an antique-fashioned robe Hermes hadn’t realized the Primordial Being was wearing that morning - something far older and more primitive in its lines than Hermes’ own chiton.

“Uh, Erebus, um… are you looking for something specific, or....?” Hermes asks, too tired to be bothered with niceties and small talk. He just wants to know if Than is doing better, and then he wants to curl up in bed with his boyfriend and hope the morning doesn’t come too quickly. 

Erebus doesn’t rise from his crouch, but those enormous wings fold down a little more compactly as the ancient being shrugs. “Little confused, Hermes. Where’s the yogurt?”

“We don’t have any right now.”

That gets the Primordial Being off the floor: Erebus rises to his full height, his flyaway moon-bright curls brushing the ceiling eight feet above as he spun to face the messenger god; the fridge door clanking and thumping shut behind him as his wings seemed to  _ tense _ .

“You have got to be kidding me…. What is  _ with _ all you younglings and your distaste for delicious delectables…?”

Hermes just sighs, rubbing his eyes with a closed fist: he simply cannot  _ believe _ the conversation he is having right now. “I don’t have a  _ distaste _ for yogurt, but Than doesn’t like it and sometimes I forget it’s there and it gets funky too quickly.”

Erebus’ eyes squint in irritation, all five of them narrowed on Hermes from too-high above. “.... You’re lucky my son likes you, boy….” The Primordial Being grabs the mug Hermes hadn’t noticed steaming on the countertop before walking across the kitchen and holding it at arm’s-length for Hermes to take. “For him. There’s sandwiches made in the fridge. Have a good night.” As Hermes cradles the warm mug in both hands, a cloud of shadows swirls around the bat-winged giant and Hermes is left alone in his kitchen.

Hermes blinks rapidly, shaking his head back and forth to make sure what just transpired was real. With another sigh, he grabs a sandwich out of the fridge and trudges his way to the stairs, trying not to drag his feet as he ascends them. 

He finds Than sitting up in bed, still bleary eyed but looking a bit more awake than when Hermes left him that morning. 

“For you.” Crimson hands pass the steaming mug into pale silver ones, before reaching over and pushing some wavy hair out of ice blue eyes. “Your dad made it before he left in a cloud of giant black smokes.”

Than’s voice is still a little rough, but his small grin is almost bright when he replies. “He’s a bit of a drama queen, but he’s settled down a lot in his old age.”

“He got mad about us not having yogurt.”

Than nearly snorts his tea through his nose, which spawns a short coughing fit. Hermes snags the mug from his boyfriend’s hands before it can spill as Than curls over his lap, heaving for breath. Wheezing, he finally meets Hermes’ guilty face. “He’ll get over it, applesauce….”

Hermes nods, taking a bite of the sandwich that was left for him. “Did you get any sleep today, angel? I was gone for an awful long time…”

Than wriggles down the pile of pillows, flaring his wings to either side so the joints where they meet his back aren’t tweaked. “Not really…. Can’t really sleep when I feel like this….”

Hermes frowns, throwing the crusts of his sandwich in the direction of the mini trash can Than insisted they keep in their room. “Is there  _ anything _ I can do?”

“Gimme back my tea and go get cleaned up and then come hold me…?” Than’s pitiful attempt at a waggled eyebrow makes Hermes smile as he kisses his boyfriend’s forehead.

“If you were feeling any other way, that eyebrow would earn you more than cuddles, I can promise ya that, stud.” Hermes pats Than’s thigh beneath the blankets, handing him his mug and making off towards the bathroom for a quick shower. 

He comes back to find Than had gotten up to lay out a pair of boxers and some pajama pants for him, and he raises his eyebrow playfully at his boyfriend’s flushed expression.

“Don’t want the temptation, applesauce, most likely I’d have a coughing fit and ruin fucking everything….”

“You wouldn’t ruin anything, angel, you never could. But I’ll be good and put some clothes on so you can focus on feeling better. Even if you can’t sleep….” Hermes smiles, letting him know there’s no malice behind his teasing. He even finds a pajama shirt to wear as well, though it’s not the same pattern as the pants Than picked out for him. 

Thanatos shuffles and wriggles onto his left side when Hermes finally crawls under the sheets, and Hermes is more than a little grateful for the extra layers between their skin as he realizes Than is still as icy-cold as he was that morning. Than’s hands fold up between their chests as Hermes reaches over his boyfriend’s ribcage, carefully avoiding all the feathers out of habit, and Hermes plants his chin on top of Than’s head as they settle down for the night.

“Thanks, applesauce….” The words are almost too quiet to hear over the central air unit kicking in.

Hermes hums in response, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent of wildwood forests and feathers he’s come to adore so much. It takes him a bit, but he realizes Than’s breathing has evened out to the pattern he knows means he’s fast asleep, and Hermes’ heart nearly bursts at the implication. 

_ Guess we found out why you think you can’t sleep when you “feel like this,” huh, angel? _


	2. Breathe. Thaw. Awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mostly pure-fluff chapter, with plot, and only one warning needed for:
> 
> Awkward Conversations with a Parental Unit about Smexytimes.
> 
> ***teehee***

Hermes wakes first again the next morning, and any hope he had that Than’s illness was just a 24-hour bug goes straight out the window. The pale god is sweating now, even though his skin is still glacial where hands and arms and nose and chest are as close to Hermes as they can get, icy through the messenger’s pajama shirt, beneath limp feathers and sheets. Hermes thinks that, if Than were mortal, he’d be burning up with a fever, but the death-god’s illness seems to be taking an entirely different track.

Hermes suppresses a grimace as he tries to extricate himself from around his boyfriend’s sticky body; Than had to have been sweating for hours, but it’s not like he could help it, as deeply asleep as he is. Hermes holds his breath and prays to whatever it is that gods pray to that his angel will stay asleep for just a few minutes while he flies to the bathroom. 

Literally, flies: no sense making noises on the floor now that he has successfully freed himself from clammy sheets….

* * *

Thanatos wakes to the touch of a warm rag on his cheek, wiping away the clamminess he hadn’t even been aware of, as deeply asleep as he had been.

“Hermes…?”

“Hey, Angel. You were a little bit sticky, I’m just swiping ya down. How are you feeling…? Your voice sounds maybe a bit better….”

Thanatos licks his lips, an involuntary stretch arching his back and shifting his wings across the bed behind him. His chest isn’t nearly so tight, but he doesn’t push the stretch much farther when he feels the spasm in his throat. He coughs, but it isn’t nearly as painful or drawn-out as yesterday had been. He manages to breathe again and answers his boyfriend in a slightly clearer voice. “Better, but not quite there yet, I don’t think. Usually takes a couple-three days, but I think the sleeping helped speed things up….”

“I’ll bet it did. So, look, I’ve still gotta go help with this whole search party shit. I don’t wanna leave you alone if you can’t fend for yourself. Can ya get to the bathroom and downstairs?”

Another more-violent coughing fit answers for him; there are tears in his eyes from the strain when he finally gasps for air against Hermes’ flannel-covered shoulder. “Guess not, applesauce….”

“Okay, well…. Your dad left in a huff last night, and I’m betting he doesn’t have a phone….”

“You’d win that bet, too, lover….”

Hermes chuckles at the reminder of how their relationship began, and Than smiles against his boyfriend’s warm, muscular shoulder. “So, um, how do we get him back without getting the big boss all riled up again, hmm?”

“Fun story there: you know the stupid kids’ game, um, Bloody Mary…?”

“.... Angel, you have got to be kidding me….”

“Not really. Just look in a mirror and say his name.”

Hermes pushes him gently, laying him back against the carefully arranged pillows. Than isn’t even sure when Hermes had the time to layer them so carefully to avoid pinching his wings. “Than, Angel, your family is weird.”

“Tell me ‘bout it, lover….”

Hermes smirks, and Than wonders if he likes  _ lover _ better than  _ applesauce _ . He’s taking a breath to ask when Hermes turns his face to the dawn-dark window with a smirk. 

Than’s calm breath breaks down into a gasp of indignant shock when his boyfriend simply says  _ Erebus _ and a cloud of black smoke begins swirling before their bedroom door; he’s coughing again when his father fully materializes, and Than is fighting to haul the sheets from under Hermes’ ass to cover his own near-naked lower half. 

Hermes is smiling, but maybe it’s a little sheepish and sorry for embarrassing Thanatos this early in the morning.

Thanatos’ eyes are watering when he finally can breathe again; he glares at his father’s gaggle of eyes and groans in irritation when Erebus lifts a carved wooden spoon, patina’d dark with years of use, from the obsidian dish of yogurt in his free hand. Hermes notices the Lord of Darkness’ choice of breakfast at the same moment, and he has no compunctions about cackling and hooting and flailing back onto the bed with his legs kicking the air in glee.

Erebus’ voice rumbles through the slowly-lightening bedroom, around the spoon in his mouth. “Wha’? D’you think I was gonna go another day withou’ some?”

* * *

Than sits propped up in bed, exactly as his lover left him hours before. He scrolls through his phone, every so often glancing at his father, who sits beside him on Hermes’ side of the bed.

He tries not to dwell on what they’ve done there  _ too _ much. 

The two ancients have barely spoken since the red messenger left, and Than doesn’t want to be the one to break the silence. Sisters only know what could possibly be going through Erebus’ mind. 

“You need something to drink, boy?”

Than coughs, glancing at his water still sitting on the bedside table, half drank. “Uh, no, no, I’m fine, Dad. Thanks.”

“Alright….” Than watches his father’s twiddling thumbs, wondering if he’s ever even seen his father  _ nervous _ before. “Hey, boy…?”

“What’s up, Dad?” Than asks, trying to suppress his sighs. He’s not in the mood for his dad to beat around the bush today. 

“Um…. I, uh…. I wanted to ask you about your relationship with your lover…?”

Than’s brow furrows in confusion. His dad has been here for  _ two days _ and he still has questions? “Uh, well, clearly we live together… What else do you want to know?”  _ Please don’t ask me why I didn’t tell you sooner. PLEASE don’t ask that. Anything but that. _

Erebus seems to swallow, and if Than’s own heart wasn’t pounding so hard, he might have been more certain that he thought he heard a  _ gulp _ . “Um…. Was wondering…. Uh….”

“Just spit it out, Dad!” 

“I-was-trying-to-figure-out-how-two-guys-even-have-physical-relations?!!”

Than’s eyes blow wide open.  _ Fuck. I should have been more specific. _ “Dad.... I don’t, don’t… fuck, why do you even want to know that?!”,

“Well, I….” His father’s eyes are wide when he turns his head more directly to Thanatos. Than had always had less trouble reading his father’s expressions than any of his siblings; it was something about the way those solidly-black eyes glinted that told him what his dad was feeling. Than knows, in his gut, that there’s a bit of fear and worry here now. “I’m not trying to hurt your mother, you know; you believe me, right?!”

Than sighs now, realizing his exasperation was misread. “Of course I do! But, but-but… I don’t know, Dad: I just….” He sighs again, and rubs at the tension building in his forehead. This headache has nothing to do with his being sick. “I mean, are you wanting to know what parts go where, or....?” Than finally asks, hoping beyond all hope that Hermes gets home early and saves him from this conversation.

“.... Yeah…. I mean….” His father turns his face away, shoulders tightening and wings tensing. “It’s hard to explain…. I mean, you know your mother and I, we’ve never been… shy about sex….” And boy, did Than know that; he and his siblings had  _ all _ caught their parents multiple times growing up…. “But, well…. Lately, it’s been…. She wants just as much as she always did, but I’m…. I feel like I’m letting her down….”

Than grimaces, because  _ holy shit _ , he never,  _ ever _ , wanted to have this conversation with his father. But he does understand that feeling; he’s felt that way with Hermes before, and they haven’t been together nearly as long as Than’s parents. “I’m sure you’re not,” Than finally says, a little gentler than he had been before. “But I guess if you’re looking to,  _ ahem _ , switch things up a bit, I could, uh… I could try and explain a bit….” He kicks the sheets down his legs, the sweat starting to make them stick uncomfortably.

His father still doesn’t quite meet his eyes, but there’s a hint of a tentatively-hopeful smile tilting his dad’s lips. “Yes, please….”

“Well… you see, uh….” Than sighs again, steeling himself to just  _ spit it out already _ . “Okay, so the most basic way I can explain this is that, well, aside from using our mouths, because I  _ know _ you can already do  _ that _ ….” Than grimaces again, unintentionally recalling the time he walked in on his mom going down on his dad in their primitive cave-kitchen when he was a child. “We use our fingers or, um, cocks, on or in each other’s asses.” Than feels his face heating up, and knows that his cheeks are bright blue. 

At least Hermes wasn’t here to tease him about it.

Than refocuses on his dad’s face, and he laughs himself into a coughing fit at the shock and drooling wonder that his ancient father isn’t even bothering to try to conceal. By the time he can breathe again, his dad has at least swiped the moisture from the corner of his wide-open mouth. “Um, so, wait…. I…. We both have an ass….”

Than’s eyes widen even more.  _ Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck! How many more ideas does he  _ **_need_ ** _? If this doesn’t work out mom AND the girls are going to kill me… _ “Um, yeah, I guess you do….”

Erebus shifts a little on the mattress, wriggling his hips and squirming slightly. “So, um, obviously, well, if…. Ahem, if I wanted to have her, um, do that to me…. Fingers, then…?” His dad stared at the wall, and Than was grateful for the not-quite-distance.

“For now, yes. If you like it I guess I can, uh, tell you about some other options?”

“Yes, would probably be best to determine if we even like this kind of thing first….” But by the way his father is still shifting and squirming, Than is pretty sure he’ll be having another talk about strap-ons and plugs and shit like that  _ reaaaal _ soon….

“You know, if you and Mom would just learn to use a  _ phone _ , and a  _ computer _ , and  _ Oracle _ , you could figure this shit out on your own without having to embarrass me along the way.” Than gives his father a pointed look, as this was an argument they’d had too many times to count.

His father’s tongue clicked against the back of his teeth and his tail thrashed a little against the headboard in irritation. “Boy, if Chaos wanted us to sell what passes for our souls to machines, we’d have come into existence with notepads strapped to our palms.”

“ _ Key _ pads, Dad, honestly….”

“See…? You even know the ritual languages….”

Thanatos rolls his eyes. “The girls even say you should learn, and they’re about as old-fashioned as they come!” Suddenly, he remembers what he _ didn’t _ tell his dad, and he quickly throws the blankets all the way off so he can reach into the drawer of his bedside table. “Since you won’t Oracle, and I don’t want you scaring some poor sex shop worker with you not knowing how to behave….” He tosses his dad the small tube of lube, instead of crawling back under the covers, he sits cross-legged facing the elder being.

Erebus picks it up from the wrinkled sheets, all five eyes squinting at the miniscule print. “Lubricant…. Why do we need lubricant, boy…?”

“Ugh… well you know how Mom gets, uh, naturally wet?” He looks down, fiddling with the pants he had put on when his dad went to clean his yogurt dish earlier. “Yeah, your ass won’t. So it will hurt without it. And you should go slow… fingers first, one at a time until you get used to it.”

The tension seems to bleed away from the Lord of Darkness, leaving him smiling softly, his gaze somewhere blankly over the lube in his long-fingered hand. “Makes sense….” Thanatos can’t be sure, but he thinks his dad’s taking another trip down memory lane.

“Yeah… Dad, can I just ask you one favor though?”

“Always, Thanatos….”

“Next time, can you please,  _ please _ ask Hypnos or the Keres about this shit?”

“Fine, but stop calling  _ love _ ‘shit,’ boy, that’s disrespectful….” 

Thanatos just groans, flopping onto his stomach and burying his face into the pillows.  _ I need to get better  _ **_now_ ** .

His father stands up from the bed, the lube disappearing in a puff of black smoke over his palm. “Hey, favorite oldest boy, what if we invited your mother for dinner this afternoon? We could cook, and you and your lover could just relax…?”

Thanatos looks up, smiling and nodding his head as his father leaves the room.

It had been a while since they’d had anything close to a family dinner, after all….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heh....
> 
> Yep....
> 
> Alright, so, a few behind-the-scenes note-lys. 
> 
> First, we will be doing more with both Hypnos and The Keres as members of the fam in this Wind/M'kay conjoined universe. Hypnos here may be more similar to how Swoonie portrays him in Dread Curiosities, so, if you liked him there, stay tuned.... The Keres have been hinted a couple times already in this fic - we're excited to bring them out to play. 
> 
> Secondly - We know the House of Night is a big fam gang. There's a lot of them, and many of them are multiple-births or sets of sibs. We wanted to make sure, to avoid confusion - when Than says or thinks "the girls," he is specifically referring to the Fates, the Moirai. He and the rest of the fam specifically refer to the Keres by name - there are reasons to be revealed in due time. And Than, obviously, is "boy" more often than not in Erebus' view, because he is "the first boy." 
> 
> If there are any deeper confusions, please don't hesitate to let us know where you are finding points of struggle....
> 
> Thirdly - In Swoonie's Night's Darkness series, Erebus and Nyx are developed as having all the parts that biological beings possess - however, they do not NEED to consume foodstuffs for life. Hence, their... excretory systems don't always see as much usage as other beings'. We kept the same tactic here, with a bit of a twist. 
> 
> Erebus and Nyx are a bit... innocent, even in their sexytimes. It legit NEVER occurred to them to try back-door stuff, for EITHER of them. 
> 
> (We may or may not smoot this fic up; we'll see where the Muses lead....)
> 
> One final point from this chapter - obviously, Than is getting better, but he's not WELL yet. Did y'all catch that Breathe and Thaw were mirrored in his actions throughout the chapter? (We were proud of us....)
> 
> So, let's see.... Next chapter, we shall have some delightfully teasing awkward multilayered family fun time in Hermes and Than's kitchen. Mama Nyx is gon' be a brat. Erebus is gon' find some fresh security with his Night. Hermes is gon' absolutely adore their cute. Than is gon' be embarrassed as hells-and-stars.
> 
> Until next time, dears!
> 
> xoxo and Much Love from 
> 
> The Headspacers   
> (we found a team name, WE FOUND A TEAM NAME)


	3. Of Falafel and Flirting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermes comes home from work, and has dinner with the in-laws...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello dear readers! The Headspacers, your favorite Thanames writing duo, is back with the third and (sadly) final chapter of Ice! We got some awkward family dinners, embarrassing conversations, and some (wink wink) suggestive language.   
> Warnings for:  
> More discussion of starving mortals  
> Heavy feels surrounding their deaths  
> Hot and Heavy and Awkward flirting

Nyx stared out over the tree-blanketed valley, her feet swinging back and forth in the empty space beyond the cliff’s edge; the slickrock beneath her ass was cold, but that was normal. It was still the Underworld after all….

_What_ _am I gonna do about him…?_

Her thoughts tumbled back over the memories, some newer and many older.

Long time gone, a look would have brought him to her feet, hungry and hot for anything at all that she chose. Long time gone, it would have been the rare day or night or both that they didn’t spend  _ at least _ a couple of hours entirely consumed by each other in any way and every way….

A few years gone, things had begun to change….

At first, she didn’t even notice that Erebus was spending more time preparing her for their… fun… and less time with the  _ afters _ , the stuff she  _ always  _ had preferred, where those wonderfully-made parts of him filled her body and soul with everything he was, with all the love they shared. 

And then there were the ever more frequent times that he simply… didn’t finish. 

Or the instances of him providing everything for her but the part of him she craved the most, simply because he wanted to hold her instead….

It wasn’t the same anymore, and she didn’t know how to fix it, but hells-and-stars, she wanted her consort back….

_ He’s older, I get that…. Not my fault or his Chaos decided to make him before me! But that can’t be right, can it…? I know he’s not tired of me…. _

_ Not fucking possible, the farthest thing from possible, that is…. _

A flicker of darksome power in their cave behind her: her wings shivered with the sensation. It felt… excited….

She rolled to the side, her wings opening to provide lift. She landed with her feet on the slickrock and stalked her way into the cave. 

_ He’s not back yet; felt like he sent something home. Hmmmmm…. _

She hunted through their home, her mouth open to taste the currents of power and try to pinpoint the new item. It had to have been small, the flicker had been only a flicker in truth, but how small that she couldn’t even taste a hint of that now-faded power!

_ What on earth did he find?! _

**_Nyx…._ **

She whipped her head to stare at the mirrored-glass tacked to the wall of stone, bright in their home’s dimness in its ‘chanted-gilt frame. Her consort’s profile was illuminated against a hazy background of pale colors, whites and creams and greys: his long nose, his curly bright hair, his two left-most eyes peeking at her as she stared.

“Hey, whatcha up to!? Did you flicker something back home a bit ago?”

**_Perhaps, but that’s not what I need from you right now._ **

“Oh, and what do you need from me right now, then…?” She prowled closer to the mirror, shocked but refusing to show it when she noticed her consort’s rising blush, shadowy under his moonlight skin. 

**_Get some drachma and drop by that good falafel place on the way here to the boy’s lover’s home…? In Olympus, the good falafel place…?_ **

“.... Are we having dinner with Than’tos?!”

**_And his lover, and I suggest you try not to embarrass our boy; he’s still feeling poorly, and he’s not up for any more … awkwardness…._ **

“.... Whaddaya mean,  _ more _ awkwardness?!?”

**_Falafel, love, I’ll see you soon!_ **

“Oh no you don’t, you-answer-me-Darkness-or-so-help-me - aaaaaaaand he’s gone….”

She snarled softly at the mirror before whirling toward the shelf across the cavern. The leather bag clinked as she tied it to her sash and dashed for the front opening of their home.

_ I’ll try not to embarrass our boy, but Darkness-mine, you have got some questions to answer! _

* * *

Than takes a deep breath as he steps out of the shower; he’s trying to breathe in the steam, half hoping it loosens his chest and half stalling going downstairs. He knows he agreed to the dinner - is almost excited about it - but he also can’t be sure his parents won’t embarrass him in front of Hermes. 

He watches his eyes widen in the steam-blurred mirror as he realizes his boyfriend doesn't know he’ll be coming home to  _ two _ Primordial Titans. 

With this realization, he hurriedly wraps a cherry-red towel around his waist and stumbles unsteadily to the bedroom to shoot off a quick text with the hope that Hermes checks his phone immediately after work. 

_ \- Hey love, just a heads up: my parents are staying for dinner…. I hope that’s okay…. _

Heaving a sigh, he throws his phone onto Hermes’ side of the bed and flops down on his stomach. 

_ He’s going to kill me. He already thinks my dad is weird… who knows what he’s going to think of  _ **_Ma_ ** _ …. _

_ And they’re absolutely insufferable sometimes, always bringing up when we were babies and somehow segueing into sex and stuff…  _

He hears his phone  _ ding _ and his heart skips a beat. He almost doesn’t want to look at the text message, for fear that Hermes is  _ actually  _ upset with him this time. 

**_\- Sounds like fun Angel! I finished my search early 2day, should I pick up that flan u like? Or something else 4 ur parents?_ **

Than smiles sheepishly to himself for overthinking everything  _ again _ . 

_ \- Flan sounds delightful. Thanks, Applesauce.  _

**_\- I luv u Angel!_ **

\- I love you too, Hermes. 

Than smiles wider, his earlier worries fading to the back of his mind. His smile falters as he hears his father’s voice rolling like soft-distant thunder downstairs. 

“Nyx, love, the boy will come down when he’s ready; leave him be.”

“You’ve had him all to yourself the last couple days; what could be taking so long?!”

_ Fuck no! _

Thanatos takes a deep breath to call out the half-opened door that his mother better  _ not _ come up these stairs, but the intent proves too much for his only-half-better lungs. He coughs hard enough and for long enough that his vision fades to black around the edges, and when he comes to again, his mother is sitting on the mattress beside him, holding him and stroking his back between his limp, damp wings. 

He glares up at her toothy smile; she doesn’t even have the good grace to look even a little sorry for barging into the bedroom while he’s wearing nothing but his skin and a towel..

“Mom, seriously….” His voice is hoarse and barely there, but what would be the use anyway in scolding her more?

She’d only smile wider….

* * *

Than sits at the kitchen table, watching his dad start the lentils and rice on the stove to go with the falafels his mom brought, and trying to avoid his mother’s unwavering gaze. She’s been staring at him ever since he put on pants and came downstairs, and he still hasn’t been able to figure out  _ why _ . 

With a roll of his eyes and a sip of his tea, he finally locks eyes with his mother. “Yes, ma?”

“Oh, no, dear, finish your tea, I can wait….” She smiles wider, and if she wasn’t his mother, Than would have been altogether terrified.

“Ma, I’m not going to gulp down my tea in one go… I’m not Hypnos.”

“Of course, you’re not! Who said you were?!”  _ And doesn’t she just look pleased with herself…. What are you plotting, Ma…? _

“No one, I was being sarcastic… Are you going to tell me why you keep staring at me or…?”

“Just trying to figure out….”

_ This is getting ridiculous…. _ “Figure. Out.  _ What _ . Ma?!”

“What your lover calls you when it’s just you two….” Thanatos groans and slides his tea across the tabletop so he can lay his head on the cool surface instead. Erebus scoffs from his post at the range-top, and Than feels the table shift as she shoves against it, spinning around on her flipped-backwards chair to glare at his father. “I’ll have you know that pet-names are very important and I want to know what our oldest boy’s first lover’s got going on in his head!”

Just then, Than hears the patio door slide open beside him. He turns his head to his other cheek on the tabletop to see his beautiful crimson love step over the threshold, all smiles and balancing bakery boxes. 

“I mean, depending on who you ask, not a lot, but also too much,” Hermes answers Nyx cheekily, and Than whips his head up so fast it makes him dizzy. 

“You heard that?!” Than asks, and Hermes chuckles as he places the boxes on the counter as he walks over to give Than a kiss on the forehead. 

“The window is open behind you, dear.” Hermes turns to the grinning Titaness across from them and holds out his hand. “You must be Than’s mother. I’m Hermes, and to answer your question, it’s Angel.”

Nyx sighs dreamily and waves at Hermes rather than taking the messenger-god’s hand, and Than thinks the worst is past, but then Hermes is backing toward the hallway door.

“Also ‘stud’, but I’m not sure if that counts…”

Hermes is laughing as he heads down the hall and upstairs to shower and change, ignoring Than’s indignant “ _ Hermes!” _ and Nyx’s cackling laughter. Than can’t help but meet his father’s stare as Erebus turns from the stovetop.  _ Don’t say anything, just don’t say anything, please don’t say -  _

“Isn’t a stud a horse that is for breeding…?”

Than’s forehead hits the tabletop as his mother falls off her chair.

* * *

When Hermes comes down from his shower, he’s ditched the mortal garb and is wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and his sky blue button-down shirt - Than’s favorite. He  _ may _ have purposefully ‘forgotten’ to do up the buttons, and is quite pleased to see the ice-blue blush on his Angel’s face. 

_ He is  _ **_definitely_ ** _ feeling better _ . 

“Thank you so much for making dinner, uh… Mr. and Mrs. Than’s parents. It smells  _ amazing _ ,” he says, pulling a chair as close to Than as he can get and slinging an arm over the back of Than’s chair. 

Nyx chortles a little, the sound oddly birdlike as she turns from one of the upper cabinets, a stack of plates and bowls carefully cradled in her long-fingered hands. Erebus also spins around with the pot of lentils in his mitted hands, his tail flicking through the air behind him, and both of the too-tall ancients head for the table with their burdens. “You could just call us by our names, boy,” Erebus rumbles before he thunks the pot onto the cork trivet.

“I just didn’t want to come off as disrespectful, but I will keep that in mind.” Hermes says, his fingers lightly tracing Than’s shoulder - his nearly-warm-again shoulder. He turns to his boyfriend then, realizing he forgot to check on Than with all the teasing when he came home from work. “How are you feeling, Angel? You seem to be a little warmer.”

Than rolls his shoulder slightly, and Hermes knows his shy boyfriend can’t decide if he wants to lean into the soft caress or shrug it off. He flattens his hand onto the pale god’s shoulder-blade instead, cocking his elbow to avoid ruffling feathers, as Than mumbles, “Yeah, getting there. Should be better by tomorrow, can probably head back to work.”

Hermes frowns at that, concern marring his features. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m sure your sisters can handle things for a few more days….”

Than turns in his chair, staring at Hermes with too-wide eyes. “The Keres are  _ what _ ?!”

Nyx’s tongue clicks behind her teeth, and she shoots a sympathetic look at Thanatos when the death-god shifts his gaze helplessly to her. “It’s not as if the few mortals that are dying now will be forever scarred by your sisters while you’re recovering, baby, and I’m sure your sisters are doing their best to, you know….”

Erebus lowers himself into a chair as he follows Nyx’s fading thought: “Not be the scary nightmares they usually are….” The Lord of Shadows half-rises from the chair, and Hermes stifles a laugh as Erebus’ tail thrashes to the Titan’s left so he can sit more comfortably.

“But it’s not just  _ a few mortals _ ! There’s been more and more of them, and they’re all so skinny…” 

“Angel,” Hermes says gently, squeezing his shoulder to get Than to turn to him. “Anyone who has been to the Mortal Realm recently knows things aren’t right. The mortals have had less and less for months now, so things are only going to get worse. One more day for you to recover is only going to make you stronger so you’re able to help all the rest who are going to die soon.”

A haze of tears films over bright blue eyes, and Hermes tugs Than toward him, leaning over the space between their chairs and soothing his boyfriend as best he can while the death-god’s heart breaks for the necessity of his calling.  _ And to think I thought he was a bit of a jerk those first few weeks when we were working together…. _

* * *

They’re eating in relative silence, now that Than has regained some control over his emotions. He hates his job sometimes, and hates not being able to do that job even more. He knows Hermes is right though, and that if he doesn’t recover fully, he’ll get sick for longer the next time.

_ Fates, don’t let there be a next time too soon…. _

Hermes clears his throat before Than can spiral down that train of thought. “So, it must have been crazy with what, eight kids, all gods, all at once? What was that like?”

Than barely manages to keep from choking as his mother smiles too-wide and his dad chuckles darkly. “Hermes, please, no, don’t go there….” He gives his boyfriend his best imitation of Hermes’ own puppy-dog eyes, and it’s nearly impossible to resist arching his back when Hermes strokes down his spine with a soothing hand.

“Aw, come on, Angel, one story?”

Than deepens his puppy eyes, begging as hard as he can. “Not about me as a kid, Applesauce, please….” He freezes as he realizes what he let slip this time; he turns to stare in horror at his mother’s gleeful grin and his father’s shadowy blush. “Dammit….”

“ _ Applesauce?! _ Oh Than-baby, that's the cutest thing I’ve ever heard in all my years! How’d you come up with that? Does Hermes smell like apples?”

“Ma, gods, fuckin’ stop!”

“Language, boy….” Than slams his teeth together as his father glares at him, a waft of cold-that-wasn’t-cold rolling through the room as the Lord of Shadows’ angular wings half-opened; a haze of particulated blackness begins to form around Erebus and Nyx. It was easy sometimes to forget that his father could be terrifying when he wanted to be, and he would always -  _ always  _ \- defend his consort’s honor, even against his own son….

Hermes chuckles, and Than is grateful his boyfriend decided to try to ease the tension, to stop torturing him for the moment. “Can we please just talk about  _ anything _ else?” Than asks, looking down at his plate of half-eaten food. The cold and dark-mist haze are fading finally, and Than tries to breathe a little easier.

Hermes gives Than a squeeze around his chest, and if Than thought it was meant to be comforting, the next words out of Hermes’ mouth laid that wishful whimsy to rest. “No-ope, I don’t smell like apples, apparently I smell like leather and maple, but I did kinda realize it’d probably be more fun to hear how you two met anyway….”

Nyx’s spoon clanks against her plate, and Than reaches for the pile of napkins to swipe up the far-flung spatters of broth and rice. He peeks at his father’s face, happy to see that shadowy blush is thick and getting thicker.

_ Your turn, dad…. _

Nyx leans back in her turned-around chair, shuffling her wings self-consciously. “Welp, um, yeah, we could do that, yeah…. See….”

Erebus taps his spoon on the rim of his bowl, encouraging the clinging droplets of soup to fall from the metal. “I didn’t have a body when everything got started back in the beginning time….”

Nyx chuckles, seeming to gather her thoughts and plunging onward. “Yeah, so, here I was, who knows when really, just kinda wandering around, checking things out. There were lots of things to see, plants and rocks and animal things, and anyway, I was just kinda doin’ my thing - ”

Erebus swallows his bite of lentils with a hum. “And I was mostly just existing, too, until I heard…. I guess it’s easiest to say it sounded like a song, but I didn’t exactly have  _ ears _ yet, so….”

Nyx giggles, bouncing in her chair. “Well, see, so, I felt this  _ darkness _ racing down outta the sky, and I could tell it wasn’t like me, but I thought it  _ could _ be, so I figured, why not?! The little batty-babies had such pretty wingies, and the snakeys had their long-long tails, and in the big lake I’d seen things with such big dark shiny eyes, and I knew I had lots of eyes, and I figured that  _ Darkness _ might like a lot of eyes too, so….”

Erebus’ left wing reaches across the space separating him from Nyx, and she hums as she leans back into the gentle touch. “And then here I was….”

“Yeah, here you were, smacking yourself into a damn tree,” Thanatos adds with a smirk.  _ Payback’s a bitch, dad. _

Hermes cackles, nearly falling out of his chair as Erebus shoves his chair back from the table and stalks toward the sink with his dishes. Nyx turns to follow her consort with a reaching arm, half-rising from her chair.

“Aw, don’t be upset Darkness-mine… you know it’s quite funny. I even laughed when it happened!” 

The Lord of Shadows’ voice is nearly unintelligible with how bass he pitches his tone. “I try to remember my first sight of your smile and not you laughing at me for the first time, dear….”

Nyx rolls her eyes as she shoves up from the table to help her consort with the dishes, and gives Hermes a wink at his wide-eyed and adoring expression. “Why don’t you two lovers go sit yourselves in the living room? Erebus and I can handle the dishes and bring dessert out in just a bit.”

Than sighs, bracing himself on the edge of the table to get to his feet. His knees feel a little weak, still, and he’s happily grateful when Hermes wraps an arm around his waist and  _ pulls _ just a touch.

His boyfriend  _ knows  _ how much Than likes when he uses his muscles….

* * *

Nyx sidles along the counter until her hip is a breath away from Erebus'; if it wasn't for her consort's tail's pointed tip flicking slightly back and forth just above the floor behind his heels, she would have thought him oblivious to her approach. She considers reaching for his mind, but then decides she wanted to  _ hear _ what he is so obviously trying not to think about from his damned pouty lips.

"My love, did you flicker something back home earlier? I felt it, couldn't find it…." She reaches for the faucet, pulling it on its swivel hinge toward her side of the sink. She starts rinsing the dishes her Darkness places over the divider, waiting patiently for his reply and peeking at his face through a stray lock of her midnight hair.

He is blushing  _ again _ , and Nyx isn't sure she could take it.

_ What could he have found that could get that much of a reaction that all my attempts haven't in so long?! _

"Not here, please, darling. I promise, once we're home I'll tell you and show you…."

Erebus shifts his weight from foot to foot, nearly  _ squirming _ like their kids when they were being housebroken. 

_ What the fuck!?! _

"Erebus, you'll tell me now. I  _ need _ to know!"

He tears his gaze from the platter in his suds-coated hands, desperation in all five eyes.

"I told you, I didn't want to embarrass our boy anymore. Haven't we done enough damage for one decade?!?"

_ …. Oh hells and stars, you didn't…. _

"Did…. Did you ask  _ our boy _ for sex advice?!?!"

Her consort whines, sliding down the cabinet fronts to crouch on the floor in obvious distress. "I shouldn't have, I know, but I just thought, I mean, he's the first of our boys to  _ be _ with another man and obviously this whole problem is my problem so if there was anything that men have that you don’t he would know wouldn’t he?!!?” His face is buried behind his hands by the time he finishes rushing through his explanation; Nyx flicks the water from her fingertips as she slips to the floor in front of him, her knees cold on the tile.

“My love, my darkness, it’s okay; I don’t quite understand why you’re so shy about all this when we’ve never been before, but I can wait until we’re home to talk about it. I’m just terribly, dreadfully glad you’re so excited that you’re freaking out!” Three eyes peek at her, watery and hesitant and full of heart-song. “It’s been a long time, my Erebus, but I’m ready for whatever new you’ve found, okay? Let’s finish these dishes and eat dessert and then we can go….”

She takes his wrist and pulls him back to his feet. They set about finishing the dishes with a will, silence urging them on nearly as much as the tender caresses that their wings can’t seem to avoid. The flan is plated on tiny saucers and they’re almost through the hall, approaching the living room doorway, when Nyx wraps her hand around her consort’s tail and  _ strokes _ up the entire length, base to tip, trailing her finger over the blade-shaped point. 

Her consort freezes in the doorway, a short cough of sound leaving him, and Nyx smiles: both at her lover’s reaction and at the sight of the red godling and their boy a breath away from drowning in a kiss.

Their son scrambles across the couch, and Nyx follows her children’s father into the room, dispensing desserts and devouring her own in silence.

_ Just a touch longer, and then -  _

**_And then…._ **

* * *

Than sighs as Hermes helps him sit on the couch, grateful for a moment away from his parents. Than lays his cheek on Hermes’ shoulder, the light-blue color of the cloth warming his heart; it’s his favorite shirt against that burgundy-speckled skin. His hand drifts onto Hermes’ thigh, pale grey fingers twining with vibrant crimson, and Than relaxes, simply inhaling that deep maple-leather scent that is all Hermes. A pale grey hand rests against a crimson bicep, and Than tilts his head to give Hermes a disapproving look. 

“Boy, you are enjoying this  _ far _ too much,” Than says to his boyfriend, attempting to ignore his pulse quickening at the smug grin on the Messenger’s face. 

“Aw, but Angel, your parents are cute…”

Than chokes back a laugh, not wanting to alert his parents to their conversation. “Of course  _ you _ think so.  _ You _ haven’t grown up with them for the last however many thousand years. And  _ you _ didn’t have to spend the afternoon explaining to my father, an Ancient Primordial Being, how gay sex works.”

Hermes eyebrows creep up his forehead. “That sounds like a hoot,” he teases, giving Than a gentle poke in the ribs. “He really didn’t know?”

Than groans, rolling off of Hermes shoulder so he can sit up and look at his boyfriend squarely. “Nope, not at all. Apparently he feels… distant from my mom in that way, and was looking for something, uh, new?”

Hermes licks his lips, and Than can feel that blush back on his face; his pajama pants start to tent around his thighs.  _ I  _ **_have_ ** _ to find a way to get my parents to leave, like, ten minutes ago.  _

“Tell me, Angel, did you give him thorough instructions, or were you too busy thinking about me to really think straight?”

Than swallows hard, his eyes locked on the smooth, freckled expanse of Hermes’ chest that he knows was  _ purposefully _ left visible.”I just wanted to get it over with,” Than whispers honestly. “But I  _ have  _ missed you, Hermes. I may not be 100%, but -”

“You’re well enough for me tonight, hm?” Hermes finishes for him, leaning forward to grab the back of Than’s neck and pull him in for a kiss. He’s a hair’s breadth away from devouring the death-god’s lips when he hears a low, rumbly  _ ahem _ from the kitchen doorway. 

Than backs all the way up to the other side of the couch, glancing between his parents and his boyfriend, who is now hanging his head in frustration and trying to contain his laughter. His mother’s face is as neutral as she can be, all toothy smile and wide eyes. It’s his father’s expression that perplexes him.

_ Is he… impatient? For what?  _

His parents hand him and Hermes plates with slices of flan on it, but no one says anything while they eat. There’s a thick tension in the room, but no one can pinpoint what kind or where it came from. Suddenly, with half finished plates, Nyx grabs hers and Erebus’ and all but throws them on the coffee table. 

“I am SO glad we finally got to meet, Hermes,” she says, standing up and giving him the same little wave she greeted him with. She walks over and almost-gently grasps Than by the chin. “Than’tos, you listen to your mother and stay home from work tomorrow, understand?”

Than gives her a sheepish smile in response, so she kisses his forehead in goodbye. With a stiff nod, Erebus wraps his consort in his wings, and the pair disappear from the airy living room in a cloud of trailing black smoke. 

“Does he do that  _ every  _ time he leaves somewhere?” Hermes asks, gathering all the plates to dump into the sink. 

“I told you, he’s dramatic,” Than responds, turning to watch the way Hermes’ hips move in those jeans.  _ That boy is a tease and he knows it. _

Hermes comes back with a dark look in his eyes. “We’re finally alone, Angel.”

Than shivers at the dark, slightly dominant tone in his boyfriend’s voice. “We are. Would you like to go to bed?”

Hermes smirks, sauntering over and pulling Than up to his feet. “I’m not sure you can make it up the stairs.”

“Lucky I have you to help me.”

“That you do.” Hermes’ smirk widens as he leans down and hosts Than over his shoulder.

“Hey!”

Hermes give Than a playful smack on his ass. “You’ve been taking care of me for weeks, Angel,” he says, as he climbs the stairs, careful not to jostle Than too much. “Now it’s my turn....”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that is the end of Ice Cold to the Touch! We hope you all enjoyed our first collab. Don’t worry though, it won’t be the last :) Keep your eyes open for the forthcoming smut - one Erebus/Nyx, and of course one Thanames…  
> You didn’t think we were going to leave you hanging, did you?  
> All our love  
> Xoxo  
> The Headspacers  
> Swoonie and Rissa

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, SO...
> 
> Obviously this takes place 4-5 months after where M'kay is at now and Chapters 1-7 of Come Home with Me (chapter 6 is where Zeus tells Hades and Persephone that he has Hermes looking for Apollo). 
> 
> The main plot is taking place during and after Chapter 5 of Wedding Song. If you're caught up that far you should be able to find those Easter Eggs. 
> 
> I (Rissa) have placed comment moderation on this fic because 1. I'm worried about spoilers for those who are waiting for wedding song to finish to binge, and 2. because this is also Swoonie's work, and she has comment moderation on her all of her fics, because that is what is best for her. She has become my writing partner and my friend so I will be doing what's best for both of us where this work is concerned. 
> 
> As always, thank you to all of our readers for the love and support and feedback you give us. 
> 
> Much love and yogurt to you all!
> 
> xoxo  
> Rissa and Swoonie


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